2010 DeLille Cellars "Chaleur Estate" Blanc Columbia Valley

SKU #108199693 points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

(an 80/20 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon; the winery cut back on the percentage of Semillon in 2010): Bright full yellow. Knockout nose combines musky curry powder and cumin notes with pineapple oil, ginger and chlorophyll; today it's the sauvignon blanc that dominates. Then supple and intense in the mouth, with excellent acidity serving to frame and intensify the peach, citrus, chlorophyll and basil flavors. Finishes very long, serious and suave, leaving an impression of fairly low alcohol. A beauty.
(12/2011)

92 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

DeLille’s 2010 Chaleur Estate Blanc -- a blend of Sauvignon with 23% Semillon from four manifestly superbly well-managed sites -- is dominated by lime peel-laced fig and honeydew melon, to which honeysuckle and heliotrope perfume add allure, and an aura of smokiness and high-toned suggestion of almond extract and peppermint add further pungent intrigue. The palate impression here manages adroitly to balance waxy texture, zesty piquancy, and infectious juiciness. 'If you made the quantity of Semillon equal, it would take over the blend,' notes Upchurch, channeling precisely the hypothesis I was myself entertaining at that moment. Everybody’s giving up on Semillon,' he adds with (what I at least hope is) hyperbole, 'Californians, South Americans, even Australians; but I love working with it.' Upchurch is proud of the particular assortment of barrels he has assembled to suit his Chaleur white, and it came as a big surprise to me after tasting this installment to learn that 70% of them were new; but the trick is that the wine spends only four months in them, based on what Upchurch, by analogy with baking, calls the 'TODD' principle: take it out when it’s done, dummy! This is likely to reward and morph significantly over a decade of cellaring.
(12/2012)

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Other White Wines

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world. Click for a list of bestselling items from the United States.

Sub-Region:

Washington

- Washington has become one of the most important wine producing states in the United States, and development continues to grow rapidly. In 1969, when California was exploding as a wine producer, Washington had only two wineries, but by 2000 that number had passed 100. Most of Washington's grape crop goes to uses other than wine. Merlot and Chardonnay have been the most successful in Washington. It's interesting to note that Washington's prime wine regions are located at 46° north, along the same latitude as the legendary French wine districts of Bordeaux and Burgundy. During the summer, Washington averages more than two hours more sunlight each day compared to California.